About Vendulka
Vendulka Battais is an award winning textile artist, tutor and half of the couple running textile studio OliVen in the heart of Suffolk.
Vendulka started her creative journey making clothes from remnants with her mum in the Czech Republic. She learned simple patchwork when she moved to the UK and was looking for a new hobby. From squares and triangles, Vendulka’s work evolved into quilting, embroidery, and circular patterns inspired by mandalas and dreamcatchers.
It was this growing passion which led her to start her own patchwork and quilting shop with her partner, Olivier, on the Isle of Wight in 2011. It’s called OliVen. In 2015, they moved family and shop to the village of Monks Eleigh in Suffolk.
Vendulka loves to make patchwork quilts, teach patchwork in the shop, travel to teach groups and demonstrate at shows.
Somehow she found the time to publish a wonderful book, Cathedral Windows – New Views, and win the Best in Show Award at Festival of Quilts 2021. This is what the judges had to say about the work: “a wonderful collaboration of design and workmanship. We loved the variety of feathers and their balance of glorious colour. A masterclass in the stitching of an intricate Mandala, together with precise use of the glitter liner medium.”
Signature Technique
Bringing embroidery into quilting
Top Tips
- Glittery and metallic paint on fabric brings a project to life – especially in the dark!
- Create an enhanced 3D effect on Cathedral windows with folded patchwork, padding, and a new colour twist.
- Combine different elements such as machine quilting and hand embroidery. It’s a joy to work on and the result is stunning.
Videos
Patterns
Posts
We reach 100 (with some help from Carolyn Forster)
filming days that is ! How great is that and since we film more than one workshop/event each day it means there are SEVERAL HUNDRED videos for you to enjoy! Had another great day yesterday filming in the studio where we were joined by Carolyn Forster; she showed us how she marks her quilts ready for Big Stitch and Utility Quilting as well as Amish Waves and she showed us lots of wonderful examples too plus two delightful little workshops from her Sew Jelly Rolls Quilts and Gifts book: all to come so keep watching.
Various comments from you
I have just watched 'Knotting Off Your Threads' with Valerie and would like to say thank you for sharing such a great method. I was taking both threads to the back, tying them off and then weaving in the ends which seemed to take longer than the actual quilting! A great time saver thanks :)
Jan Brown Re: Leaders and Enders That's ingenious...Lyn Yet again my fingers are itching to start sewing after watching the Leaders and Enders video.
Dresden Plate cushion
have completed my first Dresden Plate block and made it into a cushion. Using the Creative Grids ruler, which I found to be excellent, and a Moda charm pack "Indigo Crossing". I machine pieced then hand appliqued. I was pleased with the result, as I had always thought this block to be very difficult. The cushion is a gift for my friend who has a seaside cottage at Polzeath in Cornwall, where, I am hoping, it will fit in very nicely.
Your site is such an inspiration, I always check for tips and inspiration before I start a new project.
Best wishes
Roberta